Whole-Grain Sourdough Waffles

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Once again, please welcome Erin (the creator of the fabulous sourdough English muffins)! Today, she’s sharing a recipe for sourdough waffles. I haven’t tried them yet, but I have pulled out my cast-iron waffle irons to season them properly and make the waffles soon.

Using this recipe, you create your waffles from room temperature starter. Do you have two cups of starter out at room temperature? Good – you can make waffles right now. Thanks, Erin, for another beautiful recipe!

100% Whole Grain Sourdough Waffles

selected and modified recipe from “Simply Sourdough: The Alaska Way”

These waffles are delicious, quick, easy, and nutritious! We love to serve ours topped with homemade yogurt, fresh fruit, and a slight drizzle of maple syrup. My two boys also love eating them plain or toasted as a mid-morning snack, treat in the car, and on occasion, the bread for their sandwich. The waffles keep in the fridge for a week (they will not last that long!) and freeze beautifully. Just pop them in the toaster, top with your favorite goodies, and enjoy your very own “You Are Special Today” breakfast!

I’ve never tried this, but as I was typing I was hit with a thought… I bet adding a tablespoon or so of cocoa powder would be a fun treat. Top with a homemade raspberry sauce and fresh whipped cream… Oh, mercy!

Plug in your waffle iron. It should be hot and ready to go by the time you have finished making your batter. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil (not too hot), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons sweetener (you could leave this out if you want), and your flax, vanilla, and cinnamon (if you choose these options). Whisk it about until the batter is nicely combined. Pour the starter on top of that. Cut it in and stir it with the whisk until incorporated.

In a little cup combine 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon water. Stir it up a bit and then pour it on top of your batter. Do a few quick whisks. Not too many, but not too few, either. You want to incorporate the baking soda quickly. I probably whisk it four to five times. Your batter will get pillowy looking. Throw your whisk into the sink.

Open up your hot waffle maker and pour some batter on it. I’m not going to tell you how much, because you will figure it out as you go.

“Oh, that one could’ve used a little bit more.”

“Whoa! Guess I filled that one a little too full!”

It’s all part of the waffle making fun! Place your finished waffle on a plate. Gussy it up a bit. Delish! Should make about eight large waffles. These waffles turn out incredibly light and crispy! Enjoy!

On a side note for just a moment… The other day I got to thinking. What’s nice about this waffle recipe is that you don’t have to soak your flour overnight. If you have two cups worth of starter, you can whip these up in a moment’s notice. Well, what if you forgot to soak your rice or you had no bread made… I think, with a tweak of the ingredients, you could have yourself a delicious savory waffle! Instead of sweetener add some cheese and herbs! Top your waffle with a homemade chili, bean soup, or a creamy sauteed vegetable dish. I’ve not tried this yet, but when I look at the waffle ingredients, I don’t know why it wouldn’t work! Let me know if you give the savory waffle idea a try!

These look fabulous — thank you, Erin!

Check out our Sourdough eBook or the Sourdough module of our online classes. You’ll get lots more sourdough help and inspiration!

This post may contain affiliate links. We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. Thank you for supporting Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS with your purchases. Our family thanks you!

About Erin

Erin writes from Anchorage, Alaska where she savors a slow-paced and simple lifestyle with her husband and three young boys. Family birding adventures, hiking in the mountains, camping in their VW bus, and the warmth of the springtime sun bring them many smiles. Their greatest joy, however, comes from living for Jesus and seeing His goodness and care in the big and little moments of each new day.

Comments

Oh, I LOVE the savory idea! I might have to try this tonight with the leftover spaghetti meatsauce from the other night… oh wait, I don’t have sourdough starter, and I don’t have a waffle iron. Hmm… My Kitchen Gadgets Wish List is getting longer and longer, and I am itchin’ to go on the sourdough lesson in the ecourse!

We did do a skillet dish last night that would have been good over a savory waffle–I’m thinking maybe even sundried tomato and basil waffles? Would have been an excellent offset to our random skillet of sauteed veggies & chicken (which we did over quinoa).

Of course, the butter-and-syrup-and-fruit-and-lots-of-raw-whipped-cream one will forever be the old standby! Thanks Erin & Wardee, for another inspirational post!

I just got NT last week and have a raw milk guy, have made whey and started pickles and all that – but my sourdough starter got all mold-ie this morning! (well overnight I guess) Is it bad!? I just mixed it up and added the cup of rye flour – thinking if its good…Im good, but If not – its a cup of flour lost – oh well.

Wardee,
What is the best way to start a sour dough culture. I have been given some in the past that had been kept going for over 100 yrs! Makes beautiful bread, but alas, I dont use it enough to keep it going. It goes off in frig after a month or so. I can only tolerate a slice of sour dough bread once a week.

We love waffles and want to try this recipe out soon, but I was wondering about the waffle maker.

From what I can tell in the photograph above, it looks like you’re using an electric maker that has cast iron plates? The only electric ones I’ve found are teflon coated! In searching for cast iron waffle makers online, it’s the stovetop/ campfire variety, which I’m thinking of purchasing. Any thoughts from Wardee or any others are appreciated!

I am still working on the seasoning and hope that when I get it right (it is so tricky w/ all those grooves) that they will work well. They are tricky in that they come apart and one of my burners is bigger than the iron.

Hi Wardee
Thanks for the efforts you have put in to educate people about real food. Love your site!
I am new to waffle making.
Could you recommend a good waffle maker? If possible, also a sandwich maker. Ones that are non-stick.
Tks

Hi Wardee
Thanks for your reply on the waffle maker.
Would like to ask how do you wash it before first use and how do you maintain it thereafter?
Is there anything to watch out for when using the waffle maker?
Tks
JK

Okay, so I am new to using sourdough starter, and may have oversoured my stuff by always mixing back in the “hootch” that separates out on top. That being said, I also think that my starter was too runny for this recipe–they all ran right out the side of the waffle maker, and didn’t rise very well. However, since I had 6 cups of starter, I had three batches to perfect it, and ended up flipping over my waffleiron just a few moments after closing it–it definitely helped. BTW, because of the baking powder in the recipe, I personally wouldn’t recommend doubling or tripling the batch or the baking powder may lose it’s “umfph” before you get halfway through the batter. It mixes and measures up quick though, so one batch right after another was no sweat.

Wonderful recipe, and I definitely could taste the sour, although the family didn’t slow down long enough to notice that part. They just love it when I make them waffles!

Thanks for sharing the recipe; it’s great to have another option than to “discard” starter–I simply feed the batch and feed it again until I have 1/2 cup to set aside and then use the rest for this recipe (or whatever other recipe I’m making that requires it… LOVE the sourdough English muffins!!!).

Dani- Nice to hear from you! Couple of thoughts…
1. So glad you are loving the english muffins!
2. I think you are right when it comes to doubling and tripling the recipe. Because you only make one waffle at a time, there is a good deal of waiting. Better to make one batch at a time.
3. I also think you make a good point about the starter being too thin. The night before you make the waffles, you might want to try feeding your starter a bit more flour than normal to make it a thicker consistency. Maybe you could give that a try next time. If you do, be sure to report back!
4. I do have a few curiosity questions for you… if you have a minute!
-Do you keep your starter in the fridge or on the counter?
-How often and much do you feed it?
-How often do you use it?
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Dani!

Erin,
I’m happy to share with you–and as a newbie, I’m always open to suggestions, too!

I am not able to bake as much as I’d like–I have to limit it to weekends, and not even every weekend at that. Because of this, I feed my starter until I have as much as I’m planning on needing for whatever is on my baking agenda, and then into the fridge it goes after it gets domed and frothy. So, this morning’s waffles were refrigerated, but I did drop the bowl into a sink of warmish water to revive the starter before making the recipe. It did “warm” up (I wasn’t trying to heat it, but rather to just take off the chill. I made some waffles with coconut oil one time and when I poured the warm oil into the cold batter… well, let’s just say it didn’t mix very well!) quite nicely, and had actually foamed up a bit again. One more thought, and then my tip for the day: I definitely overwarmed my butter/coconut oil This certainly would have contributed to my runnier batter. So, in between waffles, I shoved it in the fridge to thicken a bit. Didn’t spend much time in there, since the runnier waffles cook pretty quickly, but it did seem to slow down the rise of the baking powder.

Otherwise, when I’m feeding it, I try to do it morning and night to build up to have as much starter as I did this morning. I have been able to use my starter about every two weeks, with intermittent feedings in between. Oh, and bonus for me: I caught my own wild yeasts and my Carl’s (that I was so sure I was going to need) is still in the freezer! I do think I will begin pouring the liquid off as it separates, because everything I have made is REALLY sour. And definitely, I will start with less starter, and feed the night before, a drier mix so they’re not so runny, the next time I make waffles. Thanks for the encouragement, Erin!

HI!
Just made these this morning. My batter was very thin- is this normal?
I kept my sourdough on the counter, feeding it a 1/2 cup of sprouted rice flour and water every 8-12 hours, until I had 4 cups.
I also used an electric Belgian waffle iron and after cooking, the waffle seemed a bit “rubbery” and thin (not the thickness of a Belgian waffle). If I added more batter, it ran out of the waffle iron.
Other than that, they were yummy!
Thanks!!

Delia- Thanks for your comment. Maybe you could try feeding your starter a bit more flour than water for a thicker consistency the next time you make these waffles. Also, I am not familiar with gluten free starters and wonder if the sprouted rice flour makes the batter behave differently. I’m glad they had a nice taste, but I sure would like to help you get a crispy and not-so-thin waffle. Let me know if a thicker starter helps things!

I make my own pancakes (not sourdough because I am so new to it that don’t even have any starter yet) Anyways I use the same recipe for waffles. Has anyone ever tried to make pancakes with this recipe?

I just made this and used the batter for both pancakes and Belgian waffles. The pancakes were nice and fluffy and the waffles were great too. I think I liked the waffles better though. I used coconut oil so they were dairy free and I did add extra flour to make the batter thicker because my starter was a bit runny.

Okay….I made these waffles this morning and let me just say that I wanted to weep with happiness.

Seriously. SO GOOD.

They were so fluffy and incredible. My husband & my older son (my youngest is still too young to talk but he gave us quite a few “mmm”s) & I all agreed that we could eat them every day for the rest of our lives. =)

I didn’t see it specified anywhere in the recipe, but I assume you are talking about a whole wheat/ whole grain sourdough starter in order to call these 100% whole grain waffles? Alas, I only maintain a white flour starter. Maybe I’ll convert some some day…

Sarah — You’re right! These are whole grain if the starter is whole grain. If you are interested in converting, why don’t you pull off a bit of your starter and start feeding it whole wheat or whole spelt? See how it does, try a few recipes, and see what happens. The Sourdough eCourse is a great place for wonderful, tasty, whole grain, easy sourdough recipes. You’re already used to using a starter, so you’re more than half way there.

I have a question about sourdough starter – if I feed it up to use it, then take off say half for my recipe, do I need to feed it again straight away? I’m self taught and I’m not quite sure when to feed it in relation to using it. Thanks.

I’m a week into sourdough and already loving it so very much!!! I’ve made pancakes almost all week and today made these waffles. My kids gobbled them up so quickly and my husband, who normally prefers savory things for breakfast commented 2x on how great they are! So exited to make them again!!

I love the recipe and it’s my favourite waffle recipe. I have always measured out my starter without stirring it before. Just wondering if the starter should be stirred down before measuring out the 1 cup? I convert most recipes to weight, because it’s so much quicker and easier to bake using weights.

Hi Heidi- So glad you enjoy the waffles! And to answer your question, I never stir down before I measure one cup. I just take my one cup measure and scoop it straight from my crock.
Thanks for your comment!

I about live on your english muffin recipe but for that I use starter that’s 100% hydration (fed 1 part water to 2 parts flour by volume) but all my other waffle recipes use 166% hydration starter (equal parts water and flour by volume). My starter is desem, 100% whole wheat and pretty thick at 100% hydration. It’s very pourable at 166%.

Hi Jan- Oh, I’m so glad you are enjoying the english muffins! As far as your question goes… for both the pancakes and the waffles I use a thicker starter. 100% hydration may work just fine, or you may want to try making it just a hair thinner. I usually feed my starter say 1 cup water and
1 1/4+ cups of flour (100% whole wheat). Let me know how they turn out!

I was kinda doubtful about using my starter at 100% hydration but the waffles came out fantastic. These were far and away the best sourdough waffles I’ve ever made. I work in a residential home for kids aged 6 to 14 and these waffles were a hit with all of them (and pleasing all of them about *anything* is nigh on impossible!). Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Yeah Jan! Thanks for letting me know of your success! You brought a great big smile to my face, and I am very thankful that something so simple and nutritious could please your young people! Thanks for sharing!

Earlier this week I used your waffle recipe without the butter and made funnel cakes. They turned out great and were, of course, a big hit.

Tonight for dinner I made the recipe without sweetener, vanilla, or cinnamon and ladled chicken pot pie filling (made in the crockpot) over top. This will no doubt become the a favorite meal and it was soooo easy. Sourdough, whole grains, and LOTS of veggies – what’s not to love!

Thank you so much Erin for this recipe. I really need to save up so I can buy the eBook!

Hi Deb! So happy you are lovin’ the waffles! Have you ever tried making a savory waffle? Very tasty. Cheesy waffles are always nice, but even tastier with bits of bacon, sausage, or ham stir in and maybe even some left over scrambled egg. Omit the sweetener and maybe sprinkle in some favorite herbs. Yum! (I did this recently with the sourdough pancakes. They were a big hit and a delicious on-the-go meal.)

No, I have not tried these waffles in the savory form. Years ago I made a savory waffle that had a sauce with it. I think they were broccoli….and really good. I’ll have to give the savory sourdough ones a try.

I’ve been making these for about a year and I just wanted to thank you for such a great recipe! A few months ago, when I didn’t have enough starter, I tried a different recipe and it was a miserable experience! My whole family loves these — no need for another recipe ever — and I freeze any leftovers and my boys love having them for snacks.

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